Hey Girl
by Dana Hale
Summary: Eddie takes on a challenge and Jamie is there for support in the midst of them trying to ignore their feelings for each other. Complete.
1. Chapter 1

"Ready for roll call, shorty?" Jamie said as he caught Eddie coming out of the women's locker room.

"Yup!" she eyeballed him with a mischievous smile as she placed her hat on her head, tucking in her hair bun underneath. "Can't wait for you to hear the announcement!"

Jamie looked at her in confusion as they continued to walk down the hall. "I knew it. You HAVE been hiding something from me, haven't you Janko? You've been M.I.A. at happy hour on and off for like four months now. What, you been going undercover again? You gettin' a promotion or something? You better not be leaving the 12th…"

"Aw, listen to you! So you WOULD miss me! Reagan, that's so sweet!"

"Shut up, Eddie," Jamie rolled his eyes as he hit her playfully in the arm and smiled. They rounded the corner and entered the room to join the other officers standing at attention in front of Sgt. Renzulli.

"Listen up! As you know, this weekend is the New York City Marathon. All officers will be needed for security detail along the course. Your assignments are posted on the board up front. And to continue on in our tradition, we will have an officer from our very own 12th running in the race for St. Jude Children's Research Center again- turn your donations in to me by the way. Let's give it up for our marathon runner, Officer Edit Janko!"

Everyone cheered and whistled and looked towards Eddie, giving her their support. She had a big smile plastered on her face. She turned to look at Jamie whose jaw had dropped in shock.

"What?" he mouthed silently to her in surprise as he joined in with the others in clapping for her.

"Of course she probably won't be able to beat Officer Jamie Reagan's time from last year- a 3:20, very respectable, Reagan!" Sgt. Renuzlli continued. "But we do hope she'll beat the crap out of Officer Julie Reynolds from the 3-6. We've got our bets placed on you, Janko. You better not let this house down!"

"Yes Sir! I'll give it my best! Been training hard."

"Everyone be safe out there today. Dismissed!"

As Jamie and Eddie walked to their patrol car, Jamie could not hide his excitement for her. "Oh my God Eddie, why didn't you tell me? I could have helped you train!"

"I know…I guess this is just something I wanted to do by myself. To prove to myself that I'm up for the challenge. You did it last year- I guess you could say you inspired me."

"So now it makes sense. All the extra food on top of all the extra food you normally eat—you've been carbo loading."

"Seriously, after a 20 mile run a girl needs to eat," she quipped.

They got in their car and clicked on their seat belts. Jamie hesitated in turning on the engine and instead turned in his seat to look at her.

"And skipping happy hour…here I thought that maybe you didn't want to hang out with me anymore. That maybe things were getting serious between you and that guy that keeps calling you…"

Eddie analyzed his expression and noticed a hint of sadness and maybe even…jealousy? Both of them were still burying their feelings for each other while trying to ignore that heated kiss they shared a while back. Her heart fluttered at the thought that he could actually be jealous of some other guy. She smiled and let him off the hook. "Jamie, the only relationship I've had time for is the one I've had with my running shoes. I've been pounding the pavement every chance I can get. But now I'm tapering and things will get back to normal after the race, I promise. I'll even let you buy me a beer afterwards to celebrate."

Jamie seemed to perk up at her answer as he started the car and pulled out onto the street. "So how did training go for you? You feel ready?"

"Training was long and hard. I ran cross county in high school but this is a completely different thing. I'm a little nervous about the distance, but I've never felt stronger physically."

"Well you know I'll be there to support you through it. I'll see if Renzulli will let me ride a bike on detail. That way I can ride ahead and keep an eye out for you, maybe even carry your fuel for you."

"I'd like that!" she replied just as they received a call on the radio from Central.


	2. Chapter 2

"Jamie, I'm going to puke. I'm literally going to puke right here in the starting corral," Eddie said as she and Jamie made their way through the sea of people to find a good spot for her to stand while they waited for the gun to go off for the start of the marathon.

He grabbed both her hands and squeezed. "No you're not. You got this, Eddie. It's just the nerves talking. Once you get started, the nausea will go away and your nerves will calm down. You'll find your pace and it will be old hat. Think of all that training you did, all the miles and hours you put in. You gotta trust your training."

Eddie looked doubtful. "I only trained to twenty. What about the last six miles?"

"Don't let it get to you mentally. Take it one mile at a time. Your body can do it. So what's your mantra?"

"My what now?" Eddie asked, confused as she jumped up and down in place to stay loose and tried to get the jitters out.

"You know, a phrase that you say to yourself or something that you think about to get you through the tough spots."

"Oh—well I'm kind of partial to Ryan Gosling," Eddie confessed, blushing a little.

"Ryan Gosling?" Jamie smirked.

"Yeah, haven't you seen the memes? You know, the 'Hey Girl' memes?"

Jamie smiled. "You mean like- 'Hey Girl, that fuel belt makes your butt look fantastic!'?"

Eddie laughed. "That's a good one- I haven't seen that one!"

"Yeah, I guess I saw a few of those on signs around the course last year…whoah, looks like it's time. I'll see you at mile six just like we planned, okay?"

Eddie looked terrified as he pulled away from her. "You'll do great!" He yelled back at her. "I've got $50 bucks riding on you to beat Reynolds- so you better do great, Janko!"

"Thanks, no pressure—hey- aren't I worth more than $50, Lambchop?" Eddie yelled back.

Jamie winked back at her and then he disappeared in the crowd. Before she knew it, everyone started to move forward as the gun went off and she was forced to start running whether she wanted to or not.


	3. Chapter 3

Jamie was right. After the first three miles, Eddie felt warmed up and she had calmed down. The large pack of runners that surrounded her from the start finally began to spread out, and this made her feel more comfortable and gave her more room so that she could lock on to her own rhythm and pace.

Eddie couldn't help but smile thinking of Jamie. Knowing that she would see him at mile six and later on throughout different points on the course gave her something to look forward to. His presence and support would help break up the monotony of the constant inner physical and mental stamina that was needed to keep pressing on mile after mile.

Something in her suddenly clicked and there was a spring in her stride. Maybe it was the "old her" from her high school cross country days showing back up again. Eddie loved the thrill of competition, and a fire was lit deep within her. She decided right then and there to give this her all. Knowing that people were counting on her not just for the charity money but also because her precinct's reputation was on the line, she started to focus on her strategy of holding an 8:15 minute-per-mile pace for as long as her body would let her. She checked her Garmin and saw that she was right on pace.

With her thoughts drifting back to Jamie, she suddenly realized that she especially didn't want to let HIM down. She wanted him to be proud of her. Why was that, she asked herself. She really wondered what he thought of her. They had been playing each other out ever since that kiss, and she wasn't quite sure what was going on in his head. At times he would pull away, and other times he would unsuccessfully try to hide his disappointment whenever her phone rang and it was "some guy" that she had gone out with.

She supposed she was doing the same to him- giving him mixed signals. If she was honest with herself, she knew that none of these superfluous dates she had been going on would ever amount to anything serious as long as she was waiting on Jamie to make a move. Was that what she was doing? Waiting for him? Well, what about the dates he had been going on? Nothing seemed to stick for him, either. How long could they keep fooling themselves if neither of them could move forward with anyone else?

Her Garmin beeped at her, letting her know that she could check another mile off as completed. She had been so lost in thought that she looked up and was surprised to see that it was mile six. So much for staying focused. She quickly scanned the sidelines looking for Jamie when all of the sudden he just appeared out of nowhere next to her on his bike, riding along at her pace.

"Hey Girl, are your legs tired? Because you've been running in my mind all day!"

"Jamie!" she jumped in surprise and wrinkled her nose at his Ryan Gosling joke. "Don't make me laugh! I'm too busy kicking butt!"

"Yeah, I see that! Reynolds just hit mile 5. Keep this up and I'm $50 bucks richer."

"Yeah, I'll keep this up so you can take me and your $50 bucks out for a steak dinner," she huffed out while continuing to keep her pace.

"I'll need more than $50 bucks to take YOU out on a steak dinner, seeing that you'll want an appetizer, and drinks, and another appetizer, and fries, and two desserts—"

"Funny, Reagan. Real funny."

"You need this?" he asked as he held up her fuel bottle that held her special concoction of electrolytes.

She nodded and grabbed it from him, took a few sips, and handed it back to him.

"Okay, so I'll see you at thirteen. You're looking strong. I told you, you got this!"

And just as quickly as he came, he quickly disappeared as she kept running onward. She was grateful for the information he had on Reynolds. She smiled to herself and said out loud, "Reynolds, you're going down."


	4. Chapter 4

Jamie sat on his bike in place with his feet to the ground at the halfway mark of the course, scanning the crowd for anything suspicious (he was on duty, after all). But his eyes also wandered to the road every few seconds, looking out for Eddie.

Jamie smiled to himself as he thought of Eddie. She was tough as nails out on the job, and although he was surprised when he had learned that she signed up to run in the marathon, he never doubted her ability and that she could be just as tough out on a race course too.

He glanced at his watch and noted that if she was still on pace, he'd be seeing her in less than a minute. He got on his radio. "Hey Sarge, you got a twenty on Reynolds?"

The radio crackled with Renuzlli's answer. "Just hit mile twelve. Where's our girl?"

"Doin' great. Just hit the halfway mark," Jamie's eyes lit up as he caught a glimpse of her barreling down the street.

As she came into view, his heart swelled. She looked amazing. She had a smooth running form and moved with ease in quick, even strides. With her blonde ponytail swishing back and forth, sweat on her brow, and toned muscles in her arms, abs, and legs, she was so beautiful.

Of course this wasn't the first time he had thought so. With her hair down and her standing there in those tight jeans, and her flirty 'well how do I look now' question she threw at him the night of her anniversary party—he came so close to telling her. It broke his heart to break her heart, to see the disappointment in her eyes when he told her he wasn't going to the party.

He took a deep breath and swallowed hard. It was getting more difficult tampering down his feelings for her ever since that kiss. One of these days he was scared he wouldn't be able to hold back, and then what? He could screw up their friendship, their careers…he was so tired of not knowing how to handle it. He just wanted to be with her, but so much else was at stake.

He shook himself out of his thoughts and put his feet to the pedals of the bike and pulled out onto the street. Their eyes locked and she gave him a wry smile, waiting for him to say something funny as he rode next to her.

"Hey Girl, why don't we stay in tonight and snuggle while we watch 'Spirit of the Marathon' together?"

"Oh my God, Jamie, that was awful!"

"What, you're not the snuggle type?" He asked, suddenly flashing back to the time when he held her in his arms at night on her couch, comforting her during her time of distress until she fell asleep.

"No- see, you don't get it. He's supposed to be waiting for me at the finish line with a glass of WINE and a PUPPY," she answered in between breaths.

Her quick, witty answer brought him back to reality and made him smile. "Well does he know that? Maybe I should call him to let him know. I think I have his phone number."

"Oh, just give me my drink!" she smirked as she held out her hand.

"Wow, see, you ARE demanding. Ryan at the finish, wine, a puppy—your drink," he let her grasp the bottle but only so he could playfully take it away from her.

"Oh now come ON!" she cried out. "I am NOT demanding!" With her brow furrowed, she seemed to run even faster when she was angry, trying to grab the bottle from him.

He was full on laughing when he finally allowed her to take the bottle from his hand after a brief tug-of-war.

"So how ya feelin'?" he asked in all seriousness, changing the subject as she gulped down some liquid while she continued to run.

"Okay I guess. Getting a little mentally tired. I don't like knowing I'm only halfway there."

"Try not to think too far ahead. Stay in the moment. You're still on your pace, and Reynolds is still a mile behind you. You're doing great, Eddie! Next time I'll see you will be at the twenty marker, okay?"

"Okay…" She gave him back the bottle and tried to refocus on her mental game. She knew Jamie had to get back to security detail, but she wished he could have stayed next to her a little longer. She always seemed annoyed by it, but secretly she loved the way he teased her. And she loved teasing back. He was just so fun to be around.


	5. Chapter 5

It was mile nineteen and Eddie tried to put herself on cruise control, but her body was really starting to feel the stress of running at race pace for all those miles. The pain that started to radiate through her muscles seemed to be the only thing she could concentrate on. She started to slow, and she almost let her mind convince her to stop and walk. But then she thought about Jamie waiting for her a mile away and she knew he would be wondering where she was. No, she had to keep fighting.

She needed a distraction until she could see him again. So she started to take more notice of her surroundings by listening to the cheers from the crowds that lined the streets while staring down the backs of the runners that were in front of her. She wouldn't let them get any farther away from her than they already were. She didn't want to fall behind.

And that's when she noticed one of the guys in front of her start to falter. His legs became wobbly like rubber and all of the sudden he just dropped.

Eddie's cop instincts kicked in. She stopped running and knelt down next to him as the other runners in the pack turned their heads and stopped to ask if he was okay.

"I got him," Eddie told them. "You guys just keep running." She motioned them on ahead and they complied.

He quickly came to but he was breathing very heavy. "Sir? Sir, can you hear me?"

"Yeah," he answered roughly, but he wasn't looking at her. At first she was thinking maybe he had a heart attack. She took his pulse and it was steadily pounding away.

"Does your chest hurt?"

"No…I just felt dizzy and weak and lost it."

"Can you see? Here, track my finger."

After blinking for a few seconds, he was finally able to focus his eyes and follow her finger as she waved it back and forth in front of his face.

"Hey, does anybody have any water?" Eddie yelled at the crowd. Someone threw her a bottle. She held up his neck so he could sip some water.

"I think you're just dehydrated. I'm NYPD. Officer Janko. What's your name?"

"Chris."

"Okay, Chris, I'll call medical for you, okay? Just relax and keep sipping. You'll be fine."

"Yeah, thanks," he sighed. "Already feeling better."

"Good," she smiled at him as she helped him to sit up.

Eddie grabbed her phone out of the zipper pocket of her capris and called medical. She stayed with him until the EMT's came and took over, which thankfully didn't take long. Then she texted Jamie to let him know what had happened and that she'd be a little slower in getting to the twenty mile marker.

Eddie sighed as she stood up and looked at her watch. She lost about five minutes of time, but she was just glad that she could help. As she started back up running, her own legs felt heavy and it was not a pleasant feeling trying to get back into her pace, but she eventually did get back up to speed. So maybe that wasn't the distraction she really wanted, but it did give her a chance to get a second wind, and she soon had her eyes on Jamie as she arrived at mile twenty.

"Hey Girl, I'll hold you and help you sip water after you faint," he smiled at her.

"Oh sheesh! I couldn't just let him lie there in the middle of the road!"

"Officer Janko, you are representing the 12th brilliantly today! Not only do you take time out to save a man's life, you are still out in front of Reynolds!"

"Yeah? I thought for sure she would have passed me since I stopped."

"Nope! She's a half mile back, struggling."

Jamie held out her bottle for her and she realized that he had refilled it for her. She relished any energy her body could get out of the nutrition as she took some time to drink it down.

"Well I have to admit, I was starting to struggle too. And now these last six might as well be one hundred. I feel like the finish line is that far away."

"Well it's not. Break it up into two 5k's from your cross country days in your mind. Now's the time to reel it in! It will be over before you know it. Go get it!"


	6. Chapter 6

At mile twenty-four, Eddie felt like she couldn't run anymore. It all started to fall apart; her pace, her confidence, her ability to focus and stay on task. She just wanted to be done. The urge to quit became very real as she began to take stock of the pain in her feet and her quads and her hips and her back. It all hurt. It hurt so much that she almost couldn't feel her legs moving underneath her at all, like she was having some sort of out-of-body experience. That infamous wall that all marathoners talk about- well she was there. Two more miles to go and she couldn't fathom how she was going to accomplish it.

"Oh boy, do I remember that feeling- the dreaded wall," she heard a familiar voice say. She turned her head and saw that it was Jamie, out of his uniform and now dressed in running clothes, running right beside her.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"You need a distraction. You're thinking about it too much. Two more, Eddie. I know your legs are shot and everything hurts and you just want to stop, but I know you. You've got the guts to finish this thing strong."

"Jamie, I can't…I'm so tired. And I think Ryan Gosling dumped me."

"What a jerk. I knew he wasn't the right guy for you."

Despite feeling like her body was slowly dying, Eddie managed to let out a laugh. Jamie could always make her laugh.

"You wanna know what _my_ mantra was? The faster you run, the faster you're done. That, and Cindy Crawford at the finish with a glass of wine and a puppy."

"Oh please! Enough already!" Eddie groaned.

"Come on, let's go." He prodded her to start running just a bit quicker.

She didn't know how, but she soon found herself matching his pace.

"Isn't this cheating, Eagle Scout? You helping me like this?"

"Ha! Renuzlli practically ordered me to come out here and run with you when he saw the entourage of cops from the 3-6 that are now running with Reynolds to help her. She's got like four guys surrounding her out there helping to pace her. It's like an army. She's gaining on you. She cheated first."

"That bully."

"Yeah, and what do we do with bullies?"

"Fight back."

"That's it!"

"Only I haven't got much left."

"You got more than you think. Hey, did I ever tell you the story of how Renzulli made me tackle a guy that was wearing a hot dog costume on my first week on the job as a rookie?"

"No!" Eddie laughed as she tried to forget her pain and listened to his story. She knew what he was trying to do- distract her.

He distracted her all right- whether he was bare-chested and looking mighty fine in the locker room fresh from a shower, or the way he smiled at her, or how caring and trustworthy he was out on the job, or how he made her laugh. How he kissed her. She wanted more.


	7. Chapter 7

They could hear the finish line before they could see it as Jamie and Eddie rounded the last corner in Central Park. The cheering crowd grew louder and more compact along the sidelines, creating an atmosphere that encouraged Eddie on to quicken her pace as the finish line FINALLY came into view. The excitement of actually completing this challenge gave her an adrenaline rush that she wasn't expecting.

"Hey, this is it! This is your race, Eddie. It's all you- enjoy this moment, there's nothing like it! I'll meet up with you in a few minutes, 'kay?" Jamie dropped out and stood with the crowd and watched proudly as she found an extra gear and sprinted in the last tenth of a mile with a very fast kick through the chute and over the finish line in 3:48:32. She heard the announcer say her name and that she was one of New York's finest from the 12th.

After walking forward through the finishing area, Eddie was so relieved to just finally be able to stop moving her body. A race volunteer approached her and put her finisher medal around her neck and congratulated her. Eddie stood there, stunned. She fingered the medal with her hand, wondering how she did what she just did. She was surprised to find that her eyes were tearing up with joy and astonishment and relief and pride and all sorts of emotions.

She looked up and saw Jamie approaching her with one of those thin silver space blankets, a bottle of Gatorade, and a banana. His smile was so big, she knew that she had accomplished her goal of making him proud. She smiled back at him, amazed at the feat she just completed.

"So? How does it feel, hot shot!"

"Jamie! That was INSANE! I just ran a marathon! Can you believe it?" She jumped up and down in excitement and then attacked him in a hug, slinging her arms around his neck and planting her cheek on his shoulder as she stood on her tip toes. She caught him off guard and he would have loved to hug her back in return, but his hands were full. She realized this and backed off quicker than he had wanted her to.

"Eddie, you did awesome! That kick at the end was crazy! I don't think I could have kept up with you! Here," he said as he wrapped the space blanket around her shoulders. "You'll want this around you. You'll start to feel the real temperature out here as you recover, and it's kinda cold out right now."

He held up the banana and the Gatorade. "Not wine and a puppy, but will this do? It's grape Gatorade. Close enough, right? Get it? Wine- grape…" he shrugged. "No?"

She looked at the food (it was just what she wanted- how did he know?) and then stared back at him into his questioning gaze. He had been taking such good care of her all throughout the race. How could she have done this without him? He knew exactly what she needed and when she needed it.

She suddenly had an epiphany. Jamie had been taking care of her like that for a while now. He helped her after she was assaulted by going with her to arrest Jake and convince her to press charges- _you won't be alone_ , he had said. He drove her to the jail and was there for support when she went to visit her dad. He was quick to protect and defend her when she got shoved to the ground during their call on a domestic dispute; even though his actions were over the top, she now realized why. He became rather overprotective when she went undercover. He stayed with her all night and held her in his arms while she cried over the heavy burden of having killed someone in the line of duty. _I'm not going anywhere..._

She never had a man in her life care for her like this until now. Her dad had failed her. All of the other guys she'd been going out with couldn't compare. She wanted to kiss Jamie right then and there, but knew she couldn't since they were in public with the majority of the NYPD force hanging around.

"Eddie? You okay?"

"Huh?" she said, coming out of a daze.

"You okay? I lost you there for a second," he asked with concern.

"Yeah," she said, putting on a genuine smile. "This is perfect, Jamie, really. Thank you!"

She grabbed the banana out of his hand, peeled it quickly, and chowed down while he twisted open the cap of the Gatorade for her. "Who needs Ryan, anyway, when I got you?" she said with her mouth full. She then guzzled down some drink and wondered if she really just said that out loud.

He stared at her contemplating if she was serious or just joking. He couldn't tell, but he finally noticed that she had been crying. "You been crying, Janko? There's no crying in running!"

"Shut up, Reagan!" she retorted as she wiped away the stray wetness on her face with the back of her hand.

They heard the announcer call out Reynold's name as she and her entourage crossed the finish line. Eddie looked at her watch to note the time and snickered. "Took her long enough," she cracked.

Jamie laughed. "Come on, let's walk around some. You need to keep moving or your muscles will stiffen right up."

"Hey! You're $50 bucks richer!" she reminded him as they started walking. "So where are you taking me tonight? I'm STARVING."

He groaned dramatically for effect. "Oh here we go. Too bad it's not 'All-You-Can-Eat' Tuesday at Anton's."


	8. Chapter 8

Jamie told Eddie to meet him at their usual bar right around 5:00, but what he didn't tell her was that it was a direct order from Sgt. Renzulli. Most of the 12th would be there to celebrate Eddie's victory, and they all had chipped in as a surprise to rent out the back room and have their own private buffet.

When she walked in (ever so careful on sore legs), everyone whistled and cheered and she was shocked to see everyone there. She caught Jamie's eye and knew right away from the sheepish grin on his face that he had been keeping this a secret from her.

"Aw, thanks guys!" she crooned.

Renzulli handed her a beer and everyone got quiet while he addressed the crowd. "Officer Janko did us proud today. She raised over $8000 for the St. Jude Children's Research Center, AND…she saved a man's life out of the course…AND…SHE BEAT REYNOLDS!"

Everyone cheered again, lifting their glasses in salute to her. More whistles and clapping ensued.

Eddie was getting a little embarrassed by all the attention. "Okay, okay…well I didn't really SAVE a man's life…I mean, he just fainted is all…"

"You did good, Janko! Now let's eat!" Renzulli ordered.

Jamie wandered over to Eddie. He loved the way her hair was down and curled in soft waves framing her face. She looked great in a soft cream colored sweater and jeans that showed off all her curves. In the back of his mind he selfishly wondered if she got all dolled up just for him.

"It's a buffet," he grinned. "You can have as many plates as you want!"

"You're not going to count how many I have and make fun of me, are you?"

"Now when do I ever make fun of you?" He put his hand on her back and guided her to the room where the food was.

* * *

It was getting late and the party was winding down. Most everyone had gone. Renuzlli finally left after saying goodnight to them both, and Jamie was glad because now he didn't feel like he was under scrutiny for not being able to keep his eyes off of Eddie.

Eddie didn't drink as much as she usually did, mostly because her body was already hurting and she didn't want to add a hangover to the list. She noticed Jamie didn't drink as much, either, but he had to work the early morning shift tomorrow. Renzulli was nice enough to give her the day off. She was glad, because she was going to need the time to recover. There was no way she would be able to chase down bad guys tomorrow.

"You look tired," Jamie said to her as she swirled the last of her beer around in her glass, not even interested in drinking it. "You wanna get out of here? I'll walk you home."

"Yeah," she replied.

It had been a while since he offered to walk her home, probably because of what had occurred before with their "makeout session on the sidewalk", so she was surprised to hear that he was willing. Her heart skipped a beat, thinking that maybe they could talk about it some more now that time had passed. She dropped down from the stool, and when her feet hit the ground she let out an "Ow."

Jamie looked back at her and couldn't help but notice how cute she looked as she struggled to figure out how put one foot in front of the other in an effort to make walking as painless as possible. She waddled like a duck.

"Jamie, my legs don't work," she grumbled.

"They won't for a few days. It will be good for you to walk home. They'll loosen up the more you move, I promise. Need help?" He was more than ready to let her lean on him if she needed it.

"No, I think I got it." She continued to waddle past him and he watched her carefully as she walked out the door.


	9. Chapter 9

"I can't believe you think that Captain Kirk was the better Captain!" Eddie blurted out in frustration.

"He was the original. He set the standard. Anyone else that came after him was just trying to fill his big shoes," Jamie defended.

"Oh, come on! Kirk was more interested in goofing off with the ladies than he was in commanding the ship. But Picard—see, he had a good head on his shoulders. He was smart. And WISE. His crew respected him. AND, he was a very good negotiator." Eddie rambled on.

"He was bald!"

Eddie smacked him in the arm. "What's that got to do with it?"

"I'm just saying…" Jamie smiled.

It took them a little longer than usual to arrive at Eddie's apartment building with her walking the way she was, but Jamie didn't mind. He loved sparring with her over their favorite movies or TV shows, or discussing random facts about everyday life. They always had something to talk about. And it gave him more time to spend alone with her, off duty. He was learning more about her all the time, discovering her likes and dislikes. His sister Erin had been right in calling him out on it. He enjoyed Eddie's company and couldn't seem to get enough.

They stopped right at the bottom of the stairs to the main entrance. Eddie looked down. She put one foot up on the first step but then thought better of it. She knew there was no muscle left in her leg to be able to push off and bring her other foot up. Jamie saw her hesitate.

"Oh. Stairs. I don't think I can do stairs. Got no muscles left," she crinkled her nose at him, almost apologetically.

"Here, let me help," Jamie replied. He wrapped an arm around her waist, and she did the same to him. She could feel him boost her up a little with each stair they took, one at a time, until they made it to the top. Then they just stood there. Neither of them wanted to let go of each other.

Eddie turned into him to face him. She wrapped her other arm around him and he automatically followed suit. Here they were again, in the same position as before; in each other's arms.

They stared into each other's eyes, both knowing that they shouldn't be having these feelings, that they were on the verge of crossing that line, but the temptation was getting to be too much. They leaned into each other and allowed their foreheads to touch. They were quiet, both contemplating whether or not they should kiss, each one knowing that they wanted to badly.

"Jamie…I-"

"Eddie, we shouldn't," he cut her off, but made no attempt to move other than to hold her even tighter. They were gently swaying now in their embrace.

Eddie brought her head down and moved her lips over his cheek, stopping right at the side of his mouth. "We _could_ …"she whispered against his skin.

The feel of her lips so close to his made him shiver in anticipation.

"We _could_ …" he moved his head a little to the side so that her lips were on the corner of his mouth. "But…"

Their lips met softly, barely touching with the sensation like the wisp of a feather.

"But…what?" she breathed into him.

"We can't have both," he admitted, pulling back a little, knowing she would understand he meant that their Partnership was at stake.

"Who says? No one needs to know…" she tempted him, drawing him back in.

He smiled against her lips, knowing that four people in his life had already suspected. "It's getting very difficult for me to hide my feelings for you."

"And which feelings are those?" she asked as she looked up into his eyes.

He met her gaze. "I'm in love with you."

Her heart flip-flopped. "Jamie…I love you, too."

Their lips finally crashed into each other, releasing the passion that had been held back for so long.

When it got to the point where she just wanted to take him upstairs and rip his clothes off, she broke apart first and buried her face in his chest and held him tight. He kissed the top of her head and then rested his chin there. She fit perfectly underneath him.

"What are we going to do?" she asked, her voice muffled against his jacket.

He rubbed circles on her back with the palm of his hand, wondering the same thing.

"I want you in my life, Eddie. We'll figure it out," was the only answer he had for now. He didn't want to let her go, but it was getting very late, and he knew she must be exhausted. "Hey, you need your rest, and I have early shift, so…"

"Yeah, I know." She let go of him and he slowly released her. "Jamie?"

"Yeah?"

"You know, we've been feeling this way about each other for a while now, and our Partnership has been really good. Why do we have to-?"

"Let's not worry about it for now, okay? Let's get through this week and see how it goes, take things day by day?"

She nodded. "Yeah. Okay."

He ran his fingers affectionately through her hair. "You want me to come over and see how you're doing after I'm done with tour tomorrow?"

She smiled and gave him one more kiss. "See you tomorrow."

He watched her limp and waddle towards the door.

"Hey Girl!" he yelled.

She turned around, waiting for the punch line.

"I'll bring you some ribs from Anton's and massage your feet for you."

"Hot Damn. Now THAT's the one!"

~fin~


End file.
